Halcyon Class Minesweepers

Halcyon Class Ships
QP15 Report of HMS Britomart

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This is not a comprehensive account of the convoy but records the important roles that the Halcyon Class ships played.

For more details of the ships that sailed in these convoys visit www.convoyweb.org.uk

 

Source: Report of Proceedings HMS Britomart QP15 ADM199/721

  

From: The Commanding Officer HMS Britomart

Date:    28th November 1942

To:       The Commanding Officer HMS Halcyon 

Report on proceedings with convoy QP15 from Archangel to Iceland 

Diary of Events 

17th November

Proceeded from Dvina Bar with convoy in two columns.

18th November

On passing Cape Gorodetski at Noon convoy formed in 9 columns, HMS Britomart stationed on starboard quarter.

19th November

Wind freshened from the starboard and enveloped into a gale by pm. Visibility deteriorated to five cables. Contact with convoy was lost for three hours during the night owing to breakdown of the gyro compass and Type 271 reporting wave contacts as ships.

20th November

Gale increased to force 9, ship rolling heavily in high seas. Position CC was reached at 1400A and convoy altered course to 270 degrees. Visibility was then about 5 cables and from plot obtained by Type 271 it was obvious that ships were becoming scattered. Wind backing and reaching force 10 in squalls. C in C H F’s 1343A/20 altering convoy route was received at 1952A. Contact by Type 271 with about six ships was maintained during the night.

21st November

Wind NE Force 9, whip rolling very heavily in high seas, starboard whaler and motor boat stove in. Gyro compass wandering.

During the forenoon in semi-daylight I made contact with the SS Empire Morn, American SS Charles McCormack and Russian SS Petrovski. I requested Empire Morn to act as Commodore and passed the new route. Course was altered for position YY south of Bear Island at 1100A. Ships were unable to keep station and became separated after dark, contact with Empire Morn and Charles McCormack was maintained by Type 271 but Petrovski straggled to the Northward.

Communication was not possible for about 21 hours each day during prolonged gales , the risk attached to closing to V/S distance in darkness and in the high seas was considerable. As the convoy route was altered three times this entailed considerable amount of signalling on the part of the escorts and convoy was badly scattered before the first and major alteration was received. In view of the above difficulties it is submitted that all alterations of route for PQ and QP convoys be passed by BAMS during the winter months.

Type 271 proved invaluable for rounding up stragglers in low visibility but with high seas running operators had some difficulty in distinguishing between wave and ship contacts at ranges under 3000 yards.

The weather proved too much for the gyro compass (Browns) and it was quite unreliable for the major part of the voyage. The main trouble was experienced by Britomart in Arctic Waters during the winter of 1941-1942 and a new master and repeater system were installed in May 1942. This new compass behaved satisfactorily until the recent heavy weather was encountered.

S S Stammwitz

Lt Commander in Command 

 

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This site was last updated 17 Januar 2012